Ship canal

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The Panama Canal, a shortcut from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, bypassing a circumnavigation of the Americas Panama Canal Gatun Locks.jpg
The Panama Canal, a shortcut from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, bypassing a circumnavigation of the Americas
The Suez Canal, a shortcut from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, bypassing a circumnavigation of Africa SuezCanal-EO.JPG
The Suez Canal, a shortcut from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, bypassing a circumnavigation of Africa

A ship canal is a canal especially intended to accommodate ships used on the oceans, seas, or lakes to which it is connected. [1]

Contents

Definition

Ship canals can be distinguished from barge canals, which are intended to carry barges and other vessels specifically designed for river and/or canal navigation. Ships capable of navigating large bodies of open water typically have more draft, and are higher above the water than vessels for inland navigation. A ship canal therefore typically offers deeper water and higher bridge clearances than a barge canal suitable for vessels of similar length and width constraints. [2]

Ship canals may be specially constructed from the start to accommodate ships, or less frequently they may be enlarged barge canals or canalized or channelized rivers. There are no specific minimum dimensions for ship canals, with the size being largely dictated by the size of ships in use nearby at the time of construction or enlargement. [3]

Ship canals may be constructed for a number of reasons, including:

  1. To create a shortcut and avoid lengthy detours.
  2. To create a navigable shipping link between two land-locked seas or lakes.
  3. To provide inland cities with a direct shipping link to the sea.
  4. To provide an economical alternative to other options.

History

Early canals were connected with natural rivers, either as short extensions or improvements to them. [4]

One of the first canals built was the Grand Canal of China, which was developed over a long period starting in the 5th century BCE. [5] In the modern era, canals in the United Kingdom are typically associated with the Duke of Bridgewater, who hired the engineer James Brindley and had the first canal (the Bridgewater Canal) built that ran over a flowing river. [6]

In the United States, the canal that brought about an age of canal building was the Erie Canal. It was a long-sought-after canal and connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River. [7] This canal initiated a half-century-long boom of canal building and brought about many new features that allowed canals to be used in different areas previously inaccessible to canals. These features include locks, which allow a ship to move between different altitudes, and puddling, which waterproofed the canal. [6]

Notable ship canals

Canal nameYear
opened
LengthMaximum boat length
x beam x draft (m)
Start pointEnd point
White Sea–Baltic Canal 1933227 km (141 mi)135 x 14.3 x 4Flag of Russia.svg Russia: Lake Onega Baltic Sea in Saint Petersburg
Rhine–Main–Danube Canal 1992171 km (106 mi)190 x 11 x 4Flag of Germany.svg Germany: Main at Bamberg Danube at Kelheim
Suez Canal 1869193.3 km (120.1 mi)Unlimited x 78 x 20Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt: Port Said Port Tewfik
Volga–Don Canal 1952101 km (63 mi)141 x 17 x 4Flag of Russia.svg Russia: Volgograd Tsimlyansk Reservoir
Kiel Canal 189598 km (61 mi)310 x 42 x 14Flag of Germany.svg Germany: Brunsbüttel Kiel
Houston Ship Channel 191480 km (50 mi)305 x 161 x 14Flag of the United States.svg United States: Houston Gulf of Mexico
Panama Canal 191477 km (48 mi)366 x 49 x 15Flag of Panama.svg  Panama: CaribbeanPacific Ocean
Danube–Black Sea Canal 198464.4 km (40.0 mi)138 x 17 x 6Flag of Romania.svg  Romania: Danube at Cernavodă Black Sea at Agigea
Manchester Ship Canal 189458 km (36 mi)183 x 20 x 9Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom: Eastham Locks Salford Quays
Welland Canal 193243.4 km (27.0 mi)226 x 24 x 8Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada: Lake Ontario at Port Weller Lake Erie at Port Colborne
Saint Lawrence Seaway 1959600 km (370 mi)226 x 24 x 8Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada: Port Colborne Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada: Montreal

The standard used in the European Union for classifying the navigability of inland waterways is the European Agreement on Main Inland Waterways of International Importance (AGN) of 1996, adopted by The Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), which defines the following classes: [8] [9]

ClassTonnage (t)Draught (m)Length (m)Width (m)Air draught (m)Description
Class III1,000
Class IV1,000–1,5002.580–859.55.2–7.0Johann Welker [8]
Class Va1,500–3,0002.5–2.895–11011.45.2–7.0–9.1Large Rhine [8]
Class VIb6,400–12,0003.9140159.1 [8]
Class VII14,500–27,0002.5–4.5275–28533.0–34.29.1 [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barge</span> Flat-bottomed watercraft for transport of bulk goods

Barge often refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but on inland waterways, most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. The term barge has a rich history, and therefore there are many other types of barges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canal</span> Artificial channel for water

Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management or for conveyancing water transport vehicles. They carry free, calm surface flow under atmospheric pressure, and can be thought of as artificial rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erie Canal</span> Waterway in New York, U.S.

The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing the costs of transporting people and goods across the Appalachians. In effect, the canal accelerated the settlement of the Great Lakes region, the westward expansion of the United States, and the economic ascendancy of New York State. It has been called "The Nation's First Superhighway."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime transport</span> Transport of people or goods via waterways

Maritime transport or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea has been widely used throughout recorded history. The advent of aviation has diminished the importance of sea travel for passengers, though it is still popular for short trips and pleasure cruises. Transport by water is cheaper than transport by air or ground, but significantly slower for longer distances. Maritime transport accounts for roughly 80% of international trade, according to UNCTAD in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lakes Waterway</span> System of channels and canals in the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes Waterway (GLW) is a system of natural channels and artificial locks and canals which enable navigation between the North American Great Lakes. Though all of the lakes are naturally connected as a chain, water travel between the lakes was impeded for centuries by obstacles such as Niagara Falls and the rapids of the St. Marys River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth and Arundel Canal</span>

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waterway</span> Any navigable body of water

A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary between maritime shipping routes and waterways used by inland water craft. Maritime shipping routes cross oceans and seas, and some lakes, where navigability is assumed, and no engineering is required, except to provide the draft for deep-sea shipping to approach seaports (channels), or to provide a short cut across an isthmus; this is the function of ship canals. Dredged channels in the sea are not usually described as waterways. There is an exception to this initial distinction, essentially for legal purposes, see under international waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the British canal system</span> Building, use, decline and restoration of artificial waterways in the United Kingdom

The canal network of the United Kingdom played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution. The UK was the first country to develop a nationwide canal network which, at its peak, expanded to nearly 4,000 miles in length. The canals allowed raw materials to be transported to a place of manufacture, and finished goods to be transported to consumers, more quickly and cheaply than by a land based route. The canal network was extensive and included feats of civil engineering such as the Anderton Boat Lift, the Manchester Ship Canal, the Worsley Navigable Levels and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgewater Canal</span> Canal in northwest England

The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was opened in 1761 from Worsley to Manchester, and later extended from Manchester to Runcorn, and then from Worsley to Leigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intracoastal Waterway</span> Inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States

The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 3,000-mile (4,800 km) inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following the Gulf Coast to Brownsville, Texas. Some sections of the waterway consist of natural inlets, saltwater rivers, bays, and sounds, while others are artificial canals. It provides a navigable route along its length without many of the hazards of travel on the open sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverboat</span> Watercraft designed for inland navigation

A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such as lake or harbour tour boats. As larger water craft, virtually all riverboats are especially designed and constructed, or alternatively, constructed with special-purpose features that optimize them as riverine or lake service craft, for instance, dredgers, survey boats, fisheries management craft, fireboats and law enforcement patrol craft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canals of the United Kingdom</span> Network of inland waterways

The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role of recreational boating. Despite a period of abandonment, today the canal system in the United Kingdom is again increasing in use, with abandoned and derelict canals being reopened, and the construction of some new routes. Canals in England and Wales are maintained by navigation authorities. The biggest navigation authorities are the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency, but other canals are managed by companies, local authorities or charitable trusts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-sea shipping</span> Movement of cargo and passengers by sea along a coast, without crossing an ocean

The modern terms short-sea shipping, marine highway, and motorways of the sea, and the more historical terms coastal trade, coastal shipping, coasting trade, and coastwise trade, all encompass the movement of cargo and passengers mainly by sea along a coast, without crossing an ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navigability</span> Capacity of a body of water to allow the passage of vessels at a given time

A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a waterway, and is preferably with few obstructions against direct traverse that need avoiding, such as rocks, reefs or trees. Bridges built over waterways must have sufficient clearance. High flow speed may make a channel unnavigable due to risk of ship collisions. Waters may be unnavigable because of ice, particularly in winter or high-latitude regions. Navigability also depends on context: a small river may be navigable by smaller craft such as a motorboat or a kayak, but unnavigable by a larger freighter or cruise ship. Shallow rivers may be made navigable by the installation of locks that regulate flow and increase upstream water level, or by dredging that deepens parts of the stream bed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inland waterways of the United States</span>

The inland waterways of the United States include more than 25,000 mi (40,000 km) of navigable waters. Much of the commercially important waterways of the United States consist of the Mississippi River System—the Mississippi River and connecting waterways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inland navigation</span> Water transportation on rivers and other internal waters

Inland navigation, inland barge transport or inland waterway transport (IWT) is a transport system allowing ships and barges to use inland waterways. These waterways have inland ports, marinas, quays, and wharfs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seine–Nord Europe Canal</span>

The Seine–Nord Europe Canal is a planned high-capacity canal in France that would link the Oise River at Compiègne with the Dunkirk-Scheldt Canal, east of Arleux. It is the French part of a proposed Seine-Scheldt canal that would ultimately connect the Rhine and Seine basins inland. The stated objective is to expand trade flows in a fuel-efficient and ecologically friendly manner between the Seine basin and Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, while reducing saturation on the A1 motorway in France and reducing the CO2 emissions in the transport sector within this corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Waterway 3</span> National waterway of India

The West Coast Canal or National Waterway No 3 is a 205 km (127 mi) long inland navigational route located in Kerala, India, which runs from Kollam to Kottapuram. It was declared a National Waterway in 1993. In addition to the main stretch, Champakara and Udyogmandal canals are navigable and connect the industrial centers of Kochi to Kochi port Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Shipping is coordinating the task for developing, monitoring and administering national waterways. It is the first National Waterway in the country with 24-hour navigation facilities along the entire stretch. It has been extended to Kozhikode by the National Waterways Act, 2016. The National Waterway 3 mainly passes through the previous Thiruvananthapuram–Shoranur canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classification of European Inland Waterways</span>

The Classification of European Inland Waterways is a set of standards for interoperability of large navigable waterways forming part of the Trans-European Inland Waterway network within Continental Europe and Russia. It was created by the European Conference of Ministers of Transport in 1992, hence the range of dimensions are also referred to as CEMT Class I–VII.

References

Notes

  1. Johnson's 1883, p. 1660.
  2. Finch 1925, p. 11.
  3. Engineering News 1897, p. 317,320.
  4. "History of canals in Great Britain". www.canalmuseum.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  5. Harrington 1974, p. 11.
  6. 1 2 "Canals 1750 to 1900 – History Learning Site". History Learning Site. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  7. "The Canal Era". www.ushistory.org. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "European Agreement on the main Inland Waterways of international importance (AGN)" (PDF). United Nations. p. 343. Retrieved 30 November 2008.[ dead link ]
  9. "UNECE Homepage". www.unece.org. Archived from the original on 15 May 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.